I'm looking to replace the drivers side rear quarter on my 1990 coupe and am having trouble finding any useful info. If anyone has any experiences with this process or has heard any helpful hints it would be greatly appreciated.

 

most do the vette bond repair rather then take the panel off. If you really must have a new quarter then you have to take off the rear bumper and the interior. these quarters were fused together from the factory in 4 pieces. Find the fuse at gas tank and separate it then peel back the hailo. If you buy an aftermarket quarter you're going to have to build up or grind down to make it look right.

 

It is a very difficult task to replace a rear fender. As mentioned, the bumper must come off. The fender is bonded to the top surround right underneath the rear hatch weatherstrip. If you pull up on the weather strip you can see there are two panels bonded together. In addition, the top surround continues toward the wheel opening about (I'm guessing here) 4"-6". The fender is bonded in this area below the halo all the way to the back bumper and toward the gas filler door. Separation of the fender from the top surround will certainly destroy the fender and likely damage the top surround. The adhesive is very hard. I can imagine someone cutting and grinding the old fender and adhesive off as the fender is removed. Add to this the fact that a few inches of the fender actually extends under the halo. The halo is the panel that goes over the top of the car and ends at the top leading edge of the fender. You'd have to cut the fender off right below the halo and then bond the new fender and fill just below the lower edge of the halo. Unless the fender is completely shattered and trashed beyond repair it would be better and cheaper to section or repair the fender. I have completely dismantled the entire body off of the frame and the rear fenders, top surround, and halo are bonded together extremely well. It's not impossible to do but it is best handled by someone who is familiar with the panel assembly or by someone who has a lot of patience since the fender removal is very tedious and time consuming.

Art

 

Here is an old post, in the for sale section, that shows the factory rear panel assembly ... lots of pictures.
Might help you see what they are talking about

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...=quarter+panel

 

Okay, changing the surround and a quarter are different. It isn't really that hard to do a quarter panel replacement (as long as it is not a convertable). Most of the inner structure shown on the rear clip does not have to be removed. You need to remove the back bumper, and the inner fender well, thats it. The quarter bonds at the tank filler, across the inner structure as shown in the above picture along the inner lip of the window, and at the door jamb. I have done several and it isn't that hard, and really the only way to get a perfect job (Bondo and fiberglass repairs will usually shrink back after a few years, especially with SMC panels). It actually doesn't take that much time to do it right, just make sure to use the right adhesive to attach the panel, and take your time cutting and grinding the old and new panels. Now if it's only minor damage to the old panel, I would probably repair.

 

First off Id like to thank everyone for the info it is going to be extremely useful. My biggest concern has been and still is dealing with the section that is bounded under the halo that MrRenoman had mentioned. If there is an effective way to remove the quarter at the factory mounting location to prevent having to section in the new panel the advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

I've done both quarter panels on my 87. The best tool for the job is a heat gun. It softens the glue and allows it to release the old panel and makes it easy to remove the old glue using only a putty knife. It even works under the halo and the section that on the passenger side that goes under the drivers side by the fuel door. It make clean up much easier , makes a cleaner repair , and doesnt damage any of the supports. I just did my passenger side yesterday, took about an hour . If you are carefull and able to get your hands into tight places , you can do it without removing the rear bumper, my 2c's